I love fantasy romance! Today’s guest is Elaine Cantrell, author of the fantasy romance, The Enchanted. BTW, the cover is amazing! Elaine was born and raised in South Carolina where she obtained a master’s degree in personnel services from Clemson University. She is a member of Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary society for women educators, Romance Writers of America, and EPIC authors. Her first novel, A New Leaf, was the 2003 winner of the Timeless Love Contest. When she’s not writing or teaching, she enjoys movies, quilting, reading, and collecting vintage Christmas ornaments.

That’s an easy one. I’ve taught world history for twenty years or more, and one of my favorite topics is the European Middle Ages. Last year, after lecturing all day, I was sold on the idea of using the Middle Ages as a base for a fantasy novel that eventually became The Enchanted.

Is this your first published book and if so, can you tell us your experiences in finding a publisher for it?

No, this isn’t the first book. I got my first publisher when I won a writing contest in 2003. A New Leaf is the name of that book, and even though I think my writing has improved over the years, the plot remains one of my favorites.

Where do you live and if I were coming to town, where would we go to talk books?

LOL. I live in a tiny town in upstate South Carolina. We have no bookstores, coffee shops, or any of the places we might enjoy going to. We’d either visit the public library or sit on my sofa with a beverage of choice as we talked. Actually, that last one sounds pretty good to me.

When you’re not writing, what do you do to relax and have fun?

I’m a voracious reader for one thing. I also spend a lot of time playing with either the grandchildren or my dog. I love going to movies, eating out, and collecting vintage Christmas ornaments. Reality TV isn’t bad either. Well, some of it isn’t.

Do you make a living off your books or do you have another job?

I have to have another job. Come on, readers, help me out here. Make it possible for Elaine to retire.

In your opinion, what makes a good book great?

I want strong yet realistic characters who have the same warts and flaws as we all do. The plot can be a little out of the box, and I want a happy ending.

Psychologists tell us the thing we think we’d most like to grow up to be when we’re ten years old is our avocation. What did you want to be?

I wanted to live on a farm and raise horses. That particular dream never came true, though. Instead, I married my college sweetheart, had two sons, and live in the suburbs with a small menagerie of dogs and cats.

Can you give us a short excerpt from your book?

Delighted to! In this excerpt my hero saves my heroine from a very bad death.

When they reached the shelter of the trees, she collapsed

onto the leaf‑strewn ground. Alan pulled some dried meat and

water from his bag and handed it to her. “Eat.”

He did not have to repeat himself. Morgane gnawed the

jerky and washed it down with lukewarm water as if it had been

the tastiest of delicacies. Satisfied, she lay back underneath the tree

and closed her eyes. Dry leaves crackled as her head met the

ground. Maybe when she woke up, she would be back in the castle,

where her biggest problem was worrying about King Bowdyn’s

desire for an heir. Her stomach clenched. No, that was not a good

thing to think of either.

The heat and the sounds of birds calling from the trees soon

lulled Morgane to sleep. She abruptly came awake when someone

grabbed her hair and pulled hard. Disoriented, she screamed and

flailed at her unseen assailant. Her nose filled with a putrid odor.

A wild roar assaulted her ears. Alan raced toward her with

his big sword held over his head. His face was dark with fury, his

eyes bulging. He snarled, teeth bared. He was a truly wondrous

sight.

Just before he reached her, the pressure on her hair went

away. She heard the sound of someone running through the forest,

taking no care to be quiet. She expected Alan to stop, but he did

not. He blew past her in pursuit of whoever had attacked her.

What’s next for you Elaine?

I have a new book coming out in December. It’s titled Blue 52 and is published by Whiskey Creek Press. I’m also hard at work on the first of a trilogy using natural disasters as a background, and I have a romantic comedy to edit.